EIC Surveys

How EIC Technology Works

Electret Ion Chamber (EIC) technology uses a passive integrating ionization monitor which consists of a stable electret and a small plastic chamber. The positively charged Teflon electret mounted inside the chamber directly measures the ionization of air molecules within. The reduction in the charge on the electret surface is a function of chamber volume and the total ionization occurring during a given monitoring period. This negative change in electret voltage is a direct measurement of the amount of radon gas that has entered the chamber.

Radon Flux Monitor Surveys

Targets for radon flux testing must first be determined by lithologic, structural and geophysical analysis. These test units are placed in the ground, below the organic layer, and are left there for a specific amount of time which is based on the level of background radiation in the area being surveyed. Units are then collected and brought back to camp for analysis and digitization. No electronic components are brought into the field. Due to this, there is very little risk of equipment failure when on site. If you choose to change the size, the density or the location of the survey, you may do so regularly based on daily radon flux results. Depending on exploration requirements, locations can be tested more than once in order to achieve mediated readings.

Our surveys have proven to be a useful tool in uranium exploration, and have led to successful drilling targets – intersecting uranium mineralization at over 250 meters in depth!

Radon in Water and Sediment Surveys

RadonEx crews auger holes in the ice at pre-determined GPS locations; lake sediment and water samples are then collected. Samples are taken back to camp where they are exposed to an EIC radon measurement device, results are available two days after initial collection.

The measurement of radon in lake waters and lake sediments has proven to be a successful tool for uranium exploration. This type of survey is particularly successful in winter conditions due to the reduced flow of water and the higher concentrations of radon gas in water that are caused by this ‘stagnation’.

This testing method can also be useful in summer conditions where bogs or marshes cover areas of prospective mineralization. The procedure for testing bog waters is very similar to that of testing lake waters. This kind of survey is of particular interest due to the fact that it is now possible to have a seamless body of data, whereas beforehand bogs and marshes were omitted from survey coverage due to poor sample recovery.

RadonEx is the first company to offer radon-in-water surveys of this kind! These surveys have already proven instrumental in the discovery of high grade uranium mineralization in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin. Read more here.